A Few Questions...

[Ellie]

Hi there!
I'm a first time bunny owner, so I'm a little not used to bunnies and their behaviours. I've done a LOT of research but I still have some concerns.

My rabbit doesn't eat a whole lot. He has a constant supply of hay in his litter box and hay wheel (which I'm not sure if he quite understands... should I switch to a hay rack?). But, I only see him eating like twice a day. Also, I put 1/4 cup of pellets in his dish in the morning and he probably only eats 2 or 3 of them in a day. When I give him his veggies (I've only tried lettuce so far because I heard to introduce them slowly) he only has like 3 nibbles and I throw the rest out in the morning. I'm just worried he's ill or something? Does that seem like a behaviour he would have if he was in pain? I only got him from the pound 3 days ago, so is it possible he's just home sick or something? Or perhaps it's too hot in the house? (We only have an air conditioner upstairs and he's on the main floor.... he has constant frozen water bottles in his cage though.)

Litter training also seems to be a little bit of an issue. He seems to have somewhat gotten the hang of it (he wasn't trained before I got him.) He leaves about 4 poops in his cage every few hours, but does his main business in the box. I'm pretty sure he pees in the box though. However, when I let him out to run around the room poop flies EVERYWHERE. He binkies and runs around and they'll just fall out all over the floor. I don't mind picking / vacuuming them up, but I'm just worried it will never stop. Does anyone have any suggestions to make him know that he can't poop on the carpet? I have no clue what it looks like when he's about to go because he will literally just be running around and pooping. He is 3, is it too late to introduce the litter box?

Also, he developed a new bad habit this morning... while he was out for his morning run he was running between my legs. I heard this is a symbol for "I like you" so that's good. But, this morning he started to bite me! He was also trying to dig into my pajamas... despite me gently pushing him off of my leg and saying "no" he kept coming back. He does have lots of chew toys in his cage so his teeth shouldn't be an issue. I read that biting can also be affectionate, but it sure didn't seem like it to me. Ouch!

Sorry for the very long question. Me and my bunny thank you for your help!

 

[PaGal]

I am new to bunnies as well so maybe others will have better/different advice.

As far as the biting goes, it is painful and something you want to teach your bun not to do. When Thump tries to nibble me or my clothes I either 1. saqy no and push him gently away or 2. I will say no and clap if he is biting something he should not. If I just saqy no from across the room he ignores me but the clapping (just once) doews get his attention. Sometimes I do have to repeat 1 or 2 more than once. He can be stubborn. Over time your bun should learn.

As far as the pooping outside the litter box, it may just be that he is marking his territory. Bunnies do this. I did notice with Thump ( no litter trining until we brought him home) that he would only pee in his litter box but would poop around the room. This has gotten to where he will only drop a few poos while he is out. The rest he leaves in his litter box. I'm ok with a few being dropped occassionally. Over time your bun may stop pooping everywhere. Buns poop while eating so hang a food dish or his hay above his litter box. I don't believe it's ever too late for any animal to learn.

As for eating, it seems like very little to me but then my guy really enjoys his pellets and hay and he is a giant breed so hopefully someone else can help you on that one. What type of lettuce are you feeding him? How hot is your house? Are you feeding him the same pellets that the shelter did? As far as the hay goes it could be simply he does not like that type of hay (timothy, orchard,etc). You could try providing him with a different type.

 

[MikeScone]

First, welcome to RO!

Taking the questions one at a time:

• Give him some time to settle in before you worry too much about how much he's eating. His appetite may be a bit suppressed by the heat, or unfamiliar food, or stress. It's hard to say. If he's pooping and eating, that means his digestion is working. Worry if he stops completely for a day.
• His spreading poops around when he's out is most likely not a litter training issue, it's territory marking. He's leaving messages for any potential intruders that this is his place. Just let it go and pick up the poops after him. Once he settles in and decides he's home, it will stop. That may take a month or two, maybe more, but eventually it will stop.
• Nipping is probably a sign he's starting to try to figure out his dominance place relative to you. I've only had two rabbits, but both of them went through that phase soon after they came to live with me. The best approach is when they nip, give a short, loud screech - EEEK! That sounds like bunny pain to them, and they'll stop, then maybe try again less hard. Keep EEKing until the rabbit either stops altogether or starts licking, then follow up with extravagant praise. I only had to go through two or three cycles with Scone and Natasha, and that was the end of the nipping.
• Running between your legs is usually affectionate - you need to develop the "bunny-slave shuffle" to avoid tripping or kicking the bunny (although if you do kick the bunny, they are very forgiving if you apologize quickly, preferably with a treat). It can also be a game, "you can't catch me!" Scone used to do that when I was sitting down - he'd try to jump between my legs and I'd try to catch him. If he made it through, I'd say, "yea! you made it!", and he'd binky away. If I caught him, he'd try again. He got very good at it, hopping by and doing sudden reverses and leaps, or sneaking up from behind... Don't let anyone tell you rabbits aren't interactive...

 

[missyscove]

I consider a rabbit fully litterbox trained if it pees exclusively in the litterbox. Most rabbits will drop occasional poo's to mark their territory but as his cage starts to smell more like him they'll probably decrease. Is he neutered? If not, that can help with some of the behaviors.
Some rabbits love to dig. Try giving him a blanket or towel he can dig at and rearrange on the ground; my buns seem to like that. Or you can try making him a dig box.
Do you know what he was eating at the shelter/ what kind of pellet are you feeding him? If he was used to alfalfa hay and pellets and you're offering timothy he may be holding out for what he's used to (although for an adult I would recommend timothy).
With the biting, you have to let them know that that hurts. I stopped Timmy from biting by letting out a high pitched squeal any time he bit me. Soon enough he figured it out and he doesn't bite anymore.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat:

 

[Ellie]

Awesome, thanks so much for all of the help! He is actually quietly munching hay in his litter box right now. Makes me feel better!

@ Missyscove, what do you mean by a "dig box"? This seems like something he'd be interested in... I did have a little tea towel down in his kitchen area, but all he wanted to do was eat it so I took it away.

Also, just something else that came to mind: he is constantly chewing on his cage. I made him one out of storage cubes, and he really likes to nibble on them. Is this a sign that he doesn't like his chew toys, or does he just like to nibble?

Thanks again!!

 

[1357rabbitlover]

What type of lettuce are you feeding him? as Iceberg lettuce is really bad for them, so don't feed him that
The chewing could be boredom or just that he is a destructive bunny and likes to chew!

 

[kagerod]

What people said above with the whole food issue is probably true. Try giving him carrots - high in sugar, but I find they disappear super quickly. As long as his poop looks normal, yer good.

Just a question: is he fixed? To me, biting the feet and whatnot sounds like what I read in a book - male rabbits do that and eventually start humping, at least until they're fixed. Otherwise it may just be playful behaviour. It sounds like he's a super happy bunny though!

 

[Ellie]

Yes, he is fixed. At least that's what the humane society told me. And I hope he's a super happy bunny! Haha.
Except I just heard him making little squeaking noises in his cage... is this normal? I know he does this when he binkies but he was just laying there and made a few little squeaks. Is that okay? :?

And I feed him Romaine I won't even eat iceberg lettuce due to the lack of nutrients Gave him some cucumbers earlier though and he gobbled them right up!

 

[woahlookitsme]

If hes chewing on his cage it could mean he doesnt have enough or the right toys. Try putting a paper towel roll in his cage and see how he reacts. It could also mean that he doesnt have enough room or gets enough exercise?

 

[Ellie]

Hmm I'm not too sure... I read something about "over-stimulating" a rabbit, which I think may be what I've been doing. Because I just got him I've been letting him out constantly. Maybe he's just too hyper all the time He binkies EVERY time he's out of his cage hehe.

He has 2 toilet paper rolls in his cage and 1 in his play area. He also has about 7 different toys in there... I'm not too sure. I think he just likes being destructive. I've had to twist tie everything to the walls of his cage because he tips everything over and moves it around so he can barely get around. Silly guy :foreheadsmack: